Dr Adriana Diaz

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Intercultural graduate attributes and language learning in Australian higher education

Examination of Australian universities’ mission statements and policy documents indicates that approximately 63% of the 38 Australian universities articulate intercultural competence, albeit under many guises, as specific graduate attributes (Pitman & Broomhall, 2009).

Descriptors of such attributes largely conceptualise intercultural competence as both a value (respect, civic responsibility, appreciation of diversity) and a skill (ability to function in global/multicultural environments) (ITL, 2012; Pitman & Broomhall, 2009). However, these descriptors do not provide evidence of a clear connection between these attributes and the crucial role of foreign language learning in the development of intercultural competence (Crichton & Scarino, 2007; Liddicoat, Eisenchlas, & Trevaskes, 2003). Nor do they reflect current focus on criticality as an integral force driving every aspect of language and culture pedagogy in adult education (Guilherme, 2002; Houghton, 2012; Houghton & Yamada, 2012; Johnston, Ford, & Myles, 2011; Levine & Phipps, 2012).